5 Companies Whose Ads Broke the Mold

Bold new campaign that boosted share performance

Pepsi MAX

There’s a lot more going on at PepsiCo (PEP) besides this innovative Pepsi MAX “Test Drive” ad featuring NASCAR star Jeff Gordon, but this campaign certainly has earned its props — and who can say whether its popularity contributed to the stock’s recent 20% gain year-to-date.

Gordon’s “prank the dealer” video predictably went viral, scoring some 7 million views in its immediate aftermath — as well as spinning up some controversy over whether or not the “test drive” was fake. Whether real or staged, people watched and remembered — and that’s what you want out of great advertising.